These poll numbers were released earlier today by Rasmussen Reports -- "an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information."
32% Confident Congress Represents Their Best Interests
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Voters remain highly skeptical about incumbents from both political parties which helps to explain why a number of longtime members of Congress are not seeking reelection in November.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that only 32% of likely U.S. voters are even somewhat confident that their representatives in Congress are actually representing their best interests. That figure includes just eight percent (8%) who are very confident of that fact.
Sixty-seven percent (67%) are not confident that their congressional representatives are guided by what's best for their constituents, including 31% who are not very confident and 36% who are not at all confident.
Voters are more skeptical about the congressional election process, too. Just 16% say members of Congress get reelected because they do a good job representing their constituents, a seven-point drop since April of last year.
Fifty-six percent (56%) of voters say congressmen are reelected because election rules are "rigged" to benefit the incumbents, up six points form the previous survey. Twenty-seven percent (27%) are undecided. It is worth noting that the word "rigged" is a strong term included in this survey question. The fact that more than half the nation's voters believe the election rules are "rigged" is a testament to the high levels of distrust in the country today.
When asked specifically about economic issues, voters express even less confidence in their elected representatives to Congress. Twenty-four percent (24%) are at least somewhat confident that Congress knows what it's doing when it comes to addressing the country's economic problems. Seventy-four percent (74%) disagree.
Those figures include just 4% who are Very Confident that Congress knows what it's doing and 43% who are not at all confident.
The new numbers about Congress and the economy are virtually identical to findings in early October 2008 following the meltdown on Wall Street. By August 2009 , voters were only slightly more supportive of Congress, with 29% expressing confidence in its handling of the economy versus 67% who were not very or not at all confident.
With Democrats in majority control of both the House and Senate, it's not surprising to find that 79% of Republicans are not confident that their congressional representatives are actually presenting their best interests, but 74% of voters not affiliated with either party agree. Democratic voters are evenly divided on the question.
Male voters are more skeptical of Congress than female voters. Conservatives and moderates are more critical than liberals.
Most GOP voters and 56% of unaffiliateds think members of Congress are reelected because the rules are rigged, a view shared by a plurality (46%) of Democrats.
There's a sharper divided on this question between Mainstream American and the Political Class . Fifty-seven percent (57%) of the Political Class say members of Congress get reelected because they do a good job representing their constituents. Sixty-six percent (66%) of Mainstream voters disagree and say the rules are rigged.
As for the economy, 84% of the Political Class are confident that Congress knows what it's doing. Eighty-five percent (85%) of Mainstream American voters don't share that confidence.
Voters feel more strongly than ever that Congress is performing poorly and that most of its members are in it for themselves.
Only four percent (4%) of voters say most politicians keep their campaign promises .
Voters have been unhappy with a number of Congress' initiatives over the past year, including the bailouts of General Motors and Chrysler and of the financial industry .
A plurality (38%) of voters nationwide say the $787-billion economic stimulus plan passed by Congress last February has actually hurt the economy rather than helped it.
Congress also continues to push ahead on a national health care plan, even though most voters have opposed it for months .
But Republicans come in third in a three-way Generic Ballot test when a Tea Party candidate is added to the mix. So-called tax parties around the country have been held to protest many of the policies prompted by Congress and President Obama.
Seventy-four percent (74%) of Republicans say their party's representatives in Congress have lost touch with GOP voters nationwide over the past several years.
Seventy-one percent (71%) of voters nationwide say they're at least somewhat angry about the current policies of the federal government . That figure includes 46% who are Very Angry.
Rasmussen Reports has released Senate polls for Arkansas , Colorado , Nevada , Illinois , Connecticut , Missouri , North Dakota , Pennsylvania , Ohio , Florida , and California . Collectively, these polls define a difficult political environment for Democrats as 2010 begins. But there's still a long way to go until November.